3/24/24:
Psalm 18 Devotional:
Psalm 18:20-28

20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22 For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.

23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.

24 Therefore the Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;

26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.

27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt cast down proud looks.

28 Surely thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

We saw before that this Psalm is worthy to be noted because of God’s kindness toward David, and the free confession of David’s heart to give honor and glory to God alone, knowing that he was not advanced to the kingdom because of his own strength, sagacity, zeal, honor or even righteousness, but summarizes the whole of his exaltation in these words, “I shall call upon the Lord who is worthy… so shall I be saved.” from whence we learn that the pious evermore give God due thanks and do not elevate their own wit or abilities as reason why they are advanced to any honor in this life. This is the central doctrine we learn from this Psalm. Important also to note is David’s insistance against his enemies that he maintained an upright course of life, rebuking their cavils and calumnies. And this is worthy of our consideration, for although the righteous are yet touched by sin in this life, and often succumb to temptation, yet sin hath no dominion over them, it shall not rule over them, but they shall overcome at the last with their foot upon the neck of their lusts, Christ reigning in their hearts by His grace. And because of this reign which is absolute, and as certain as the promises of God, the righteous are called so in the word, and even become so by grace, so that the main course of their life is guided by the Holy Spirit of God, and He causes them to live in obedience to God and not in rebellion. And this is the point we aim to make here against the wicked cavil of the antinomians who would never dare say with David, “I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.” but evermore call themselves “wretched sinners saved by grace” and “evil and bad men”. Such is not the confession of the godly in scripture. For while on the one hand we freely confess our guilt and transgression before the Lord, crying out in contrition both for ourselves and our people, as Ezra and Daniel both prove saying, “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.” and again, “We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments” yet this must be understood according to our old nature without denying the newness of life that has been engendered in us by the Holy Spirit of God. Therefore it also says in the Psalms, “truly God is good to Israel, even to those of an upright heart.” showing that the true Israel which is the object of God’s favor is comprised of those who live uprightly. So we see that the antinomians preach the doctrine of free sin, not of free grace, and aim to hide their love of sin and self under a cloak of religion just like the other self-righteous sects and false religions. So we see plainly here that David does not boast himself of righteousness as if he had earned God’s favor, nor does he continue to call himself an evil man, for this would be an insult to the Holy Spirit of God. But in perfect Christian fashion walks a straight path avoiding the pitfall of legalism, and the abyss of antinomianism. Therefore let it be ever said in the church of God, yea let all His people say, “I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me. I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.”

Matthew Henry,
Here, I. David reflects with comfort upon his own integrity, and rejoices in the testimony of his conscience that he had had his conversation in godly sincerity and not with fleshly wisdom, 2 Corinthians 1:12. His deliverances were an evidence of this, and this was the great comfort of his deliverances. His enemies had misrepresented him, and perhaps, when his troubles continued long, he began to suspect himself; but, when God visibly took his part, he had both the credit and the comfort of his righteousness. 1. His deliverances cleared his innocency before men, and acquitted him from those crimes which he was falsely accused of. This he calls rewarding him according to his righteousness (Psalms 18:20; Psalms 18:24), that is, determining the controversy between him and his enemies, according to the justice of his cause and the cleanness of his hands, from that sedition, treason, and rebellion, with which he was charged. He had often appealed to God concerning his innocency; and now God had given judgment upon the appeal (as he always will) according to equity. 2. They confirmed the testimony of his own conscience for him, which he here reviews with a great deal of pleasure, Psalms 18:21-23; Psalms 18:21-23. His own heart knows, and is ready to attest it, (1.) That he had kept firmly to his duty, and had not departed, not wickedly, not wilfully departed, from his God. Those that forsake the ways of the Lord do, in effect, depart from their God, and it is a wicked thing to do so. But though we are conscious to ourselves of many a stumble, and many a false step taken, yet if we recover ourselves by repentance, and go on in the way of our duty, it shall not be construed into a departure, for it is not a wicked departure, from our God. (2.) That he had kept his eye upon the rule of God’s commands (Psalms 18:22; Psalms 18:22): “All his judgments were before me; and I had a respect to them all, despised none as little, disliked none as hard, but made it my care and business to conform to them all. His statutes I did not put away from me, out of my sight, out of my mind, but kept my eye always upon them, and did not as those who, because they would quit the ways of the Lord, desire not the knowledge of those ways.” (3.) That he had kept himself from his iniquity, and thereby had approved himself upright before God. Constant care to abstain from that sin, whatever it be, which most easily besets us, and to mortify the habit of it, will be a good evidence for us that we are upright before God. As David’s deliverances cleared his integrity, so did the exaltation of Christ clear his, and for ever roll away the reproach that was cast upon him; and therefore he is said to be justified in the Spirit,1 Timothy 3:16.

II. He takes occasion thence to lay down the rules of God’s government and judgment, that we may know not only what God expects from us, but what we may expect from him, Psalms 18:25; Psalms 18:26. 1. Those that show mercy to others (even they need mercy, and cannot depend upon the merit, no, not of their works of mercy) shall find mercy with God, Matthew 5:7. 2. Those that are faithful to their covenants with God, and the relations wherein they stand to him, shall find him all that to them which he has promised to be. Wherever God finds an upright man, he will be found an upright God. 3. Those that serve God with a pure conscience shall find that the words of the Lord are pure words, very sure to be depended on and very sweet to be delight in. 4. Those that resist God, and walk contrary to him, shall find that he will resist them, and walk contrary to them, Leviticus 26:21; Leviticus 26:24.

III. Hence he speaks comfort to the humble (“Thou wilt save the afflicted people, that are wronged and bear it patiently”), terror to the proud (“Thou wilt bring down high looks, that aim high, and look with scorn and disdain upon the poor and pious”), and encouragement to himself–“Thou wilt light my candle, that is, thou wilt revive and comfort my sorrowful spirit, and not leave me melancholy; thou wilt recover me out of my troubles and restore me to peace and prosperity; thou wilt make my honour bright, which is now eclipsed; thou wilt guide my way, and make it plain before me, that I may avoid the snares laid for me; thou wilt light my candle to work by, and give me an opportunity of serving thee and the interests of thy kingdom among men.”

Let those that walk in darkness, and labour under many discouragements in singing these verses, encourage themselves that God himself will be a light to them.”

And let us pray then accordingly, with sincerity and a pure conscience having nothing therein to condemn ourselves, ever looking into the word that we may be found walking pure and upright in His sight.

Lesson 12. The Substance of the Doctrine of Christ. Part 2. Of sin and misery.

Intro.
Review.
1. Our creation for obedience.
2. The perfection required by the law.
3. Separation from God by the fall.
The wickedness of mankind.
4. The covenant of works.

Lesson.
5. The misery of man on account of sin.
(Flavel, Vincent, WLC)

Conclusion.

Closing Prayer.

Brief discussion after service.

YouTube Audio: https://youtu.be/kIH5zIDYe6s